City employees sweating over potential job losses

Tanya Sierra

There's more to being a city of Chula Vista tree trimmer than cutting branches, said David Bisbal, 40, a husband and father of two who has had his job for nearly three years.

He plants new trees on the east side; prunes mature trees on the west side; and fertilizes, waters or removes dead and dying trees. He gets middle-of-the-night calls when a storm topples a trunk in a public right of way, and he grinds down leftover stumps.

Bisbal has been in the tree business for 18 years and is a certified arborist and tree worker. But experience is no guarantee against layoffs. The city is looking to cut Bisbal's job, along with 100 others.

A growing budget deficit is forcing city officials to cut costs. They're scaling back services and considering eliminating 136 positions in the next few months. Some of those jobs are currently unfilled, but the proposed cuts include 100 layoffs.

“It's a tough situation, but I'm saying my prayers and I have a lot of people praying for me,” Bisbal said.

Job cuts include 25 of about 240 in the Public Works Department, where Bisbal is employed. Some of those positions are vacant.

Other departments are taking similar hits. Five of the six communications positions in the city and Police Department are on the cut list. Some police officers also could lose their jobs.

From 25 positions in public works to 34 positions in the Police Department, staff reductions are affecting nearly all city operations. Libraries could see 10 positions eliminated, and engineering has five positions on the cut list.

The city isn't just cutting jobs. Funding for other services and programs is also at risk, including the Chula Vista Nature Center. Although local groups and individuals donated more than $577,000 in December and January to keep the center open, it could close if the city can't find another organization to run it.

Layoffs also mean slower progress on street and sign repairs and graffiti removal.

The city also could eliminate its $400,000 subsidy to the Stretch and Dash after-school program. At every City Council meeting since officials begin discussing cost cuts, parents, children and library workers have begged them not to stop funding the program, which is a library and elementary school district partnership focusing on literacy, arts, culture and physical education.

About 2,100 children participate in the Stretch and Dash program. Many parents credit the program for helping their children become better students. At Tuesday's council meeting, Lavar Watkins spoke in support of the program, saying the community needs it.

“It would be unspeakable to take this away from children,” he said.

One thing that might alleviate some of the budget pain is the proposed sales tax rate increase. The council agreed last week to ask voters to increase the sales tax from 7.75 percent to 8.75 percent. The mail ballots will go out in April and are due back by May 5.

Even if the increase is approved, it won't offset all the cuts, including some layoffs, Assistant City Manager Scott Tulloch said.

“We're slimming down the organization,” he said.

Officials don't know yet whether they'll release employees April 1, as planned, or wait to see if the sales tax initiative passes in May.

In the meantime, employees such as Bisbal worry about their prospects.

“With the economy nowadays, it's hard to find a job,” he said. “I've been trying and looking around, and no luck.”

Beyond his situation, Bisbal believes the quality of the city's trees could deteriorate if three people in his department are laid off.

“We are a skeleton crew as it is,” he said. “In the '80s they had twice the manpower. They had 12 guys. Now the city is twice as big and we have half the manpower out there. Nobody will be there to water the trees.”